Die set



y 14, 1963 n. F. FAIRGRIEVE 3,089,715

DIE SET Filed Dec. 8, 1960 Inn-n:

Inventor DONALD F. FA/RGR/EVE by: 2 v i Attorney FIG.

United States Patent 3,089,715 DIE SET Donald F. Fairgrieve, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Fairgrieve & Son, Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Dec. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 74,638 4 Claims. (Cl. 28720.1)

This invention relates to improvements in die sets for use with punch presses and the like.

Such die sets comprise a die holder or die shoe for mounting on the bed of a press and on which the die for forming a work piece is adapted to be mounted and a punch holder for mounting on the ram moving part of the press and on which the punch for co-operation with the die is adapted to be mounted. To provide precise alignment between the die andpunch holders and consequently the die and punch, the die holder is provided with a pair of guide pins projecting upwardly therefrom and the punch holder is provided with bushings adapted to register with and receive the guide pins.

It is the usual practice to assemble the guide pins and the die holder at the point of manufacture because the pins must be installed in accurately oriented holes with the pins precisely normal to the surface of the die holder. Conventionally to achieve this precisely accurate relationship the pins are press fitted into the die holder holes by the manufacture. Such assembled iguide pin and die holders, however, are awkward and expensive to handle and ship, and further during transit are liable to become damaged with the pins being bent.

While it is possible to assemble the pins and the die holder at the point of use, the user very often would not have available the equipment or personnel to effect the proper alignment. Moreover, once assembled the pins are normally left fixed in the die holder as to remove and accurately reassemble the parts is a task which the user would not want to undertake. 7

It is the object of the present invention to enable the pins to be quickly and easily assembled in the die holder in precisely accurate relation whereby the pins and die holder can be shipped separately to prevent damage of the pins or pin misalignment during transit and to provide substantial savings in shipping costs.

Another and important object is to enable the user, without specially trained or skilled help, to quickly and easily release and remove the pins from the holder and to then subsequently efiect reassembly of the pins with the holder without loss of alignment accuracy. Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to enable the pins to be quickly removed when it is desired to sharpen a die in the die holder so that the die can be exposed to the sharpening tool without the delays and cost of removing the die from its holder.

Another important object is to enable the dies to be used with much larger plates, sheets, or other work pieces than would be permissible with usual die sets by enabling the pins to be removed during punching and the material extended beyond the boundaries of the die holders, a relationship not obtainable where the pins must be left in the die holder.

The principal feature of the invention resides in pro viding the pin holding .die set member with accurately drilled and located pin receiving bores, and with slots running in from an edge of the member to thebores, and providing means for spreading the slots and opening up the bores to allow ready insertion of the pins and further means for closing the slots to lock the pins in their bores whereby the pins can be quickly and accurately assembled with and removed from the die set member.

More particularly, according to the invention, the bores are located in corner portions of the die set member with 3,089,715 Patented May 14, 1963 ICE the slots running into the bores from one side of the corners, and the means for opening up each of the slots comprises a threaded member operating in a threaded bore extending into the corner portion around the corner from the slot and disposed substantially perpendicular to and opening into and terminating at the slot, the threaded member being adapted to bear on the slot wall opposite to the wall through which the threaded bore enters the slot whereby turning of the threaded member affords accurately controlled continuous spreading opening move- FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the die set of FIGURE 1 with the parts in operating relation and showing a punch and die mounted in the die set ready to punch out a work piece, the screws at one end of the punch holder being removed to show the arrangement of bores in the holder;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmented plan sectional view of a corner of the die holder showing the means for contracting and enlarging the pin receiving bore in the die holder;

FIGURE 4 is a broken away vertical sectional detail showing the manner in which the bushings are mounted I in the punch holder.

With reference particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, the

die set, as is conventional, comprises a die holder or shoe 1 adapted to be mounted on the bed of a press 'or the like, a punch holder 2, guide pins 3 to be mounted in the die holder, and bushings 4 mounted in the punch holder and adapted to receive the guide pins 3. The punch holder is adapted to be mounted on the ram of a press or the like,

a mounting pin 5 being provided to facilitate the mounting of the punch holder. 7

As shown in FIGURE 1, the die holder or shoe 1 is provided with mounting Wings 6 extending laterally therefrom at the front thereof with the wings being disposed below the upper surface 7 on which a die, such as the die 8 shown in FIGURE 2, is adapted to be mounted.

The mounting wings 6 are formed with slots 9 extending therein to receive suitable clamping members to enable" portions 10 is a slot 12 which intersects with the bore 11' in the respective corner portion, the slot presenting spaced opposing walls 13 with the circumference of the bore 11 being interrupted by the intersection of the slot 12 for a distance corresponding to the spacing of the opposing walls 13-.

The bores 11 are spaced a precisely accurate distance apart corresponding to the spacing of the bushings 4 which are adapted to receive the guide pins 3 and the diameters of the bores 11 are selected so that the pins 3 are snugly received therein with the opposing walls 13 of the slots' 12 at their normal spacing.

While the die holder 1 will be of rigid construction of steel or the like, it will be understood that the material will nevertheless have a degree of resiliency by virtue of u the slots 12 and bores 11 which will enable the spacing of the opposing slot walls 13 to be varied to contract or expand the bores 11. To this end, there is provided at each corner portion preferably a pair of vertically registering holes 14 extending inwardly from the edge of the corner portion 10 in angular relation to the slotted edge of the corner.

The holes 14 extend in a direction substantially at right angles to the respective slot 9 and intersect the slot and extend inwardly beyond the slot with the inner ends 15 of the holes being threaded. At the entrance, the holes 14 are provided with counterbores 16, and mounted in the holes 14 are threaded members 17 in the form of socketheaded cap-screws with the heads being adapted to be received in the counterbore 16. It will be understood that by tightening the screws 17 and by limiting the entry of the screws into the holes 14 by provision of the engagement of the heads of the screws in the counterbores 16, the corner portions 10 will be distorted to move the opposing walls 13 of the slots 12 relatively towards each other in a direction to close the slot and contract the bores 11.

In addition to the holes 14, each of the corner portions 10 is provided with a parallel hole 18 disposed outwardly towards the end of the respective slot 12 with the hole 18 being threaded and opening into and terminating at the respective slot. A set screw 19 threaded into the hole 18 is arranged to have its end abut the wall 13 of the respective slot at the opposite side to the wall through which the hole 18 enters the slot. It will be understood that threading of the set screw 19 into the threaded hole or bore 18 with the end of the set screw in abutment with the opposing slot wall 13 will operate to spread the slot walls 13 to enlarge the respective bore 11 at the inward end of the slot 12.

-It will thus be apparent that the pins 3 can readily be assembled into the die holder 1 by backing oif the screws 17 and threading in the set screw 19 to expand the bore 11 into which the pin is being inserted. While there will be a snug fit between the pin and bore following insertion of the pin and backing olf of the set screw 19 to ensure accurate alignment between the pins and the bushings 4 in the punch holder, it will be understood that the pins can quickly be clamped against removal by tightening the screws 17.

With this arrangement, it will be apparent that the pins can be packed separately from the die holder so that the die set can be shipped in knocked down condition to eliminate damage to the die set as for instance bending of the pins and to reduce the size of the die set to reduce shipping costs.

The die 8 shown principally in diagrammatic form as a very simple die in FIGURE 2 may be a very complicated die and may require a complicated mounting arrangement on the die holder. It will be understood that with the pins 3 in position on the die holder, the die may not be conveniently sharpened in the die set, but would require removal. However, with the simple arrangement provided for removal of the pins 3 by spreading the walls 13 and the slot 12, the obstruction formed by the pins can readily be removed and the die easily and quickly sharpened Without removal from the die holder.

Further, while normally the guide pins will operate through the bushings 4 in the punch holder 2 to ensure that the punch 20 carried by the punch holder is always maintained in precisely accurate alignment with the die 8, there may be occasions where extra large work pieces are required to be punched, and these work pieces cannot be introduced into the die set because of the obstruction of the guide pins 3. In such a case, again the pins can be quickly and easily removed and the large work piece punched without requiring the expense of a larger ie set.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the bushings 4 may conveniently comprise removable bushings having locating 4 flanges 21 to locate them in position in the bores 22 in the punch holder 2, the bores 22, of course, being pre cisely accurately registering with the bores 11 in the die holder and the bushings being a close fit in the bores 22.

The bushings are preferably clamped in position by means of a clamp ring 23 arranged to overlie the locating flange 21, the clamp ring being held in position by clamp screws 24 passing through the ring and a spacer ring 25, and into the punch holder 2.

As shown, the mounting pin 5 may conveniently be threaded to thread into the threaded bore 26 of the punch holder in the conventional manner.

While the socket-headed cap-screw 17 and the set screws 19 form a convenient means of closing and opening the slots 12 to contract and expand the bores 11, it will be understood that various other arrangements may be resorted to to effect such opening and closing movement of the slots and it is understood that all such variations and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a die set, a die holder having a pair of corner portions, each portion having a pin receiving bore extending therethrough and a slot running in from one edge thereof intersecting said bore and at least two bores running in from an adjacent angularly disposed edge with said latter bores substantially at right angles to said slot, one of said latter bores intersecting and extending inwardly beyond said slot and having the inner end thereof threaded, the other of said latter bores being threaded and opening into and terminating at said slot, a screw member in said one bore which extends inwardly beyond said slot for closing said slot, and a second screw member in said other bore terminating at said slot and adapted to abut the wall of said slot opposite to the point at which said latter bore opens into said slot for spreading said slot and a guide pin adapted to be snugly and releasably received in each of said pin receiveing bores.

2. In a die set as claimed in claim 1 in which said one bore extending inwardly beyond said slot intersects said slot relatively closer to said pin receiving bore than said other bore terminating at said slot.

3. In a die set, or the like, a die holder having spaced corner portions provided with pin receiving first bores formed therethrough with said first bores having a predetermined accurate spacing and diameter and precisely normal to the die mounting surface of said die holder, said die holder being formed with a slot at each of said corner portions running inwardly from one edge to intersect with said first bore in the respective corner portion, said slot having opposed spaced apart walls, at each of said corners a second bore running in from an edge thereof disposed in angular relation to the edge from which the respective slot runs inwardly, said second bore intersecting said slot at substantially right angles and being threaded at least at the inner end thereof inwardly of said slot, means for forcing said slot walls towards each other from a normal relative spacing to decrease the cross sectional area of the respective first bore with which said slot intersects, said means for forcing said slots walls towards each other comprising a threaded member extending into said second bore and engaging the threads at the inner end thereof with means to limit inward movement of said threaded member into said second bore, means for spreading said slot walls from said normal relative spacing.

4. In a die set, or the like, a die holder having spaced corner portions provided with pin receiving first bores formed therethrough with said first bores having a predetermined accurate spacing and diameter and precisely normal to the die mounting surface of said die holder, said die holder being formed with a slot at each of said corner portions running inwardly from one edge to intersect with said first bore in the respective corner portion, said slot having opposed spaced apart walls, at each of said 5 corners a second bore running in from an edge thereof disposed in angular relation to the edge from which the respective slot runs inwardly, said second bore intersecting said slot at substantially right angles and being threaded at least at the inner end thereof inwardly of said slot, means for forcing said slot walls towards each other from a normal relative spacing to decrese the cross sectional area of the respective first bore with which said slot intersects, said means for forcing said slot walls towards each other comprising a threaded member ex- 10 6 tending into said second bore and engaging the threads at the inner end thereof, said threaded member having an enlarged head to limit inward movement thereof into said threaded bore, means for spreading said slot walls 5 from said normal relative spacing.

Hedgpeth Apr. 29, 1930 Janiszewski June 12, 1956 

1. IN A DIE SET, A DIE HOLDER HAVING A PAIR OF CORNER PORTIONS, EACH PORTION HAVING A PIN RECEIVING BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND A SLOT RUNNING IN FROM ONE EDGE THEREOF INTERSECTING SAID BORE AND AT LEAST TWO BORES RUNING IN FROM AN ADJACENT ANGULARLY DISPOSED EDGE WITH SAID LATTER BORES SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID SLOT, ONE OF SAID LATTER BORES INTERSECTING AND EXTENDING INWARDLY BEYOND SAID SLOT AND HAVING THE INNER END THEREOF THREADED, THE OTHER OF SAID LATTER BORES BEING THREADED AND OPENING INTO AND TERMINATING AT SAID SLOT, A SCREW MEMBER IN SAID ONE BORE WHICH EXTENDS INWARDLY BEYOND SAID SLOT FOR CLOSING SAID SLOT, AND A SECOND SCREW MEMBER IN SAID OTHER BORE TERMINATING AT SAID SLOT AND ADAPTED TO ABUT THE WALL OF SAID SLOT OPPOSITE TO THE POINT AT WHICH SAID LATTER BORE OPENS INTO SAID SLOT FOR SPREADING SAID SLOT AND A GUIDE ADAPTED TO BE SNUGLY AND RELEASABLY RECEIVED IN EACH OF SAID PIN RECEIVING BORES. 